Do "Mosquitoes" have you running inside?

Are "Mosquitoes" ruining your life and out door activities?

We spoke about "Ticks" a few days ago, so I thought it only fair we talk about another menace today.

Okay . . . so what exactly is a "mosquito"? Well . . . they're a group of about 3,500 species of small insects that are flies. Mosquito is Spanish for "little fly". Awwww sounds so cute . . . RIGHT!!!!

They use many methods to locate us, one being the carbon dioxide humans and animal exhale in breathing. Just like the "Tick". But they also use their receptors and vision to pick up on other cues like body heat, perspiration and skin odor.

Only female mosquitoes bit and feed on the blood of humans or warm-blooded animals. And both male and female feed mainly on fruit and plant nectar. So why does the female need blood? Well . . . she needs the protein in blood to help her eggs develop. The female can live as long as 3 weeks and during that time may lay up to 5 clutches of more than 100 eggs each. After the female has laid 1 clutch of eggs she will rest for 2 or 3 days and then go back to find more blood.

A Mosquito can bit multiple times and can drink 3 times her weight in blood. So that adds up to several bites from the same mosquito a night. Female mosquitoes searching for a meal of blood detect people partly by using a special receptor to home in on our sweat. But they will first sense exhaled carbon dioxide from a distance that can be more than 30 feet.

So the question still remains . . .

Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others? That would be because of "genetics"!

Your DNA will determine whether or not you are more likely to excrete skin substances that are attractive to female mosquitoes.

People with type "O" blood are more than universal donors, they're also "tastier" to mosquitoes. In fact, they will land and bite a type "O" person almost twice as often as a type "A" blood person.

So what else do mosquitoes like . . . fragrances, perfumes and scented lotions. They're also attracted to dark colors like blue and black. So wear something like white or khaki and don't wear any kind of lotion.

And get this . . . why do some mosquitoes seem to be just leg and ankle biters . . . because they like the stinky smell of bacteria on your feet.